The present invention pertains to an embroidery apparatus applicable to a crochet machine utilizing a looper device and which is adapted to form embroidery patterns of any desired configuration and arrangement whereby the patterns can be repeated at any desired location along the longitudinal length of a base fabric. These patterned designs are obtained by means of a device for inserting embroidery threads into the base fabric that is formed in a known manner by chains of warp threads concatenated with weft threads.
Crochet machines of the type described supra have never been provided with embroidery devices whereby it is possible to embroider letters, monograms and other pre-determined patterns directly into a base fabric that can be either an open or closed weave type fabric. Embroidery threads are utilized for the patterning effects and are visible at the required locations on the fabric and are hidden within the chains of warp threads when it is desired that only the base fabric be visible.
Embroidery patterns of the above type have, until the present invention, been manual operations performed by operators working at a so-called "lace-pillow". Certain manufacturers of crochet machines utilizing a looper device have unsuccessfully attempted to provide this type of embroidery by providing their machines with ten tube carrying bars. These attempts were not successful because of the extremely high manufacturing costs and of the complete unreliability of the final result. It is well known by those conversant in the art that it is necessary to provide the same number of glider chain elements as the number of points required for forming a desired ornamental pattern.
It is also known that the so-called open weave type fabric is formed by square openings, which are the easiest to form, and in which six chain elements are necessary for each opening, or in other words one for each striking operation of the machine and that each element is not less than 3 cm in length. Consequently, in order to provide an ornamental pattern of 20 cm in length which is equivalent to 180 square openings in the base fabric, it is necessary to provide a chain for each bar of at least 1080 glider elements having a total developed length of approximately 3.24 meters.
As the required number of chains is ten, the difficulties in locating each chain in close proximity with an adjacent chain is quite obvious as well as the problem of attempting to achieve the degree of accuracy required by each glider element at whatever operating speeds such machines may have. Consequently, each attempt has immediately been discouraged. Finally, when using chains it is not possible to detach an ornamental design from the one which follows it or to make them different if additional glider elements are not provided which if added to those required by the desired ornamental pattern, would create an excessive lengthening of the chains that are already considered extremely long.
It is a general object of the invention to provide an embroidery device for crochet machines that will form patterns of any desired configuration and which will not require manual intervention on the part of the machine operator.
A further object is to provide an embroidery device that can be controlled to form a particular pattern at any desired location along the longitudinal length of a base fabric.
The embroidery device according to the invention is operatively connected to one of the plurality of rectangularly driven bar members which support the tube elements through which the machine weft threads are guided. This bar member carries a plurality of guide tubes through which embroidery threads are guided for forming all the desired designs or embroidered patterns which can be obtained with not less than 76 bar members and which would have to be subjected to translatory movements by means of an equal number of glider chains.